Jacqui Lambie, Ricky Stuart, Nicole Rose make Canberra power list
Few knew who Brendan Murphy was this time two months ago, or what he did. Now we know the Chief Medical Officer can get the police to detain us if we refuse to self-isolate. THE REAL CANBERRA POWER LIST REVEALED
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The coronavirus crisis is underlining just how much power Canberra has over our lives.
Few knew who Brendan Murphy was this time two months ago, or what he did. Now we know the Chief Medical Officer can get the police to detain us if we refuse to self-isolate.
The Daily Telegraph’s Canberra power list does not include politicians or political operatives who are Sydney-based. And we’ve put a line through anyone in Cabinet. They are powerful. It’s a given.
These are the people who you didn’t elect that significantly shape the world around you, ranked on their significance in this moment.
Steven Kennedy – Treasury secretary
He may not have ranked number one had this list been collated just three months ago, but as the head of the department charged with developing the government’s plan to combat the COVID-19 economic crunch, no-one is more important in Canberra at the moment. Kennedy has a PhD in economics but initially set out to be a psychiatric nurse, which might be coming in handy right now.
Phil Gaetjens – Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary
The nation’s top public servant. He oversees everything and everyone. Gaetjens has been in Scott Morrison’s ear for nearly five years. He was Treasurer Morrison’s chief of staff from 2015 to 2019. He then became Treasury Secretary. After ScoMo became PM and won the election, Gaetjens was elevated to head of PM & C.
Brendan Murphy – Chief Medical Officer
“This is my trusted source of advice.” These are the words Scott Morrison used as he turned to Murphy at a recent coronavirus briefing. Murphy’s calm, no-nonsense approach has cut-through in Canberra. What he says in private shapes the government’s response to the virus crisis. He has immense power under the Biosecurity Act.
Mike Burgess – Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general
Arguably the nation’s most influential security chief. Unlike most of his predecessors, Burgess is not a career public servant, having worked as Telstra’s chief information officer. An engineer by trade, Burgess recently used his first delivery of the Annual Threat Assessment to reveal the number of active terror threats had doubled in a year. His views played into the government banning Huawei from 5G.
Jacqui Lambie – Balance of power senator
This Apple Isle renegade gets to decide the fate of laws. Her vote will often be the last one needed by the government to get legislation across the line. The clearest example of that since the election was when the Tasmanian independent supported the Medevac repeal bill. She is currently at loggerheads with the PM over his rolling inquiry into veteran suicides. Lambie wants a royal commission first.
Susan Kiefel – High Court chief justice
Under Kiefel – the first woman in the role – the court is viewed as being less predictable than in the past. A recent analysis by the UNSW found the share of unanimous decisions reached a seven-year low in 2019. Kiefel was in the minority last month in a 4-3 decision that prevented the deportation of a New Zealand-born man who is Aboriginal but not an Australian citizen.
Andrew Shearer – Cabinet secretary
A top intelligence and foreign affairs mind, Shearer’s appointment in August last year by Scott Morrison has given him a say in the most critical conversations inside government. Shearer was a national security adviser to former Liberal prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott. He has been an outspoken critic of China and its efforts to interfere in western democracies.
Ben Morton – Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet
The West Australian MP is a close confidant of Scott Morrison’s. He is in charge of reforming the public service, which obviously has huge implications in Canberra. He travelled with the PM for much of the election campaign. He is a friend and a sounding board. Morton is the former state director of the WA Liberal Party. Originally from the NSW Central Coast, he ran (unsuccessfully) for state parliament in 2003, when he was just 21.
Andrew Metcalfe – Agriculture department secretary
Like his boss, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud, Andrew Metcalfe’s star is on the rise. He leads this new super department that includes water and the environment. It is the key link between the Liberals and Nationals, insiders say. Metcalfe was drafted into the role by Scott Morrison just three months ago after six years with giant consultancy Ernst & Young.
Ricky Stuart – Canberra Raiders coach
When you look outside of the political sphere, ‘Sticky’ is the dominant personality in Canberra. Under him, the Green Machine is back, having reached their first grand final in 25 years in 2019. And they are third in the betting for this year’s premiership. Stuart has the ACT in his DNA.
Nicole Rose – AUSTRAC CEO
Under Rose’s leadership, this anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulator got rid of Westpac CEO. The banking royal commission did not claim such a scalp. It has also extracted a $700 million penalty from CBA. The rise and rise of AUSTRAC showcases the growing influence of regulators in Canberra.
Nick Warner – Office of National Intelligence director-general
This spy chief briefs Scott Morrison on the nastiest threats facing our nation. Daily. Before leading ONI, he was in charge of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service for eight years. He was also Australia’s high commission to PNG and a senior adviser to John Howard. The risks Warner sees vary from the US-China rivalry to nanotechnology.
Angus Campbell – Defence Force chief
No list such as this can leave off the person who holds this role. Campbell was the public face of Operation Sovereign Borders, aka the Stop the Boats campaign. That brought him close to Scott Morrison, who was the Immigration Minister at the time. Campbell is a former chief of Army.
David Gazard – friend and lobbyist
A confidant and a mate of ScoMo’s who has been involved for politics at the highest level since 1996, firstly as an adviser to John Howard then Peter Costello and Tony Abbott. He and Costello even went into the business of government relations together. Gazard ran for the Liberals in Eden-Monaro, losing to Labor 54-46.
Cheng Jingye – China’s ambassador to Australia
The only ambassador on our list. He is here because of China’s growing clout and the increased strain on the relationship between the two countries over recent years. Cheng has been openly critical of Australia, saying less ‘bias and bigotry’ is required. He has attacked Australia as recently as last month over the ban on Huawei from the build of the 5G network.
Michelle Chan – national security adviser to PM
Chan is a fixture on lists such as this. She is experienced and well-regarded. Chan is considered to be a moderate on China, countering some of the other messaging to Morrison. Her international experience includes posting throughout Asia.
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